Facebook and Google Race to Bring the Internet to the Rest of the World

Facebook and Google are officially in a race to connect the rest of the world to the internet - and both companies are working on surprising means to do it. On Friday, Facebook released new details about its initiative, called Internet.org.

Facebook Redefines 'Moonshot' With Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Purchase

It's becoming harder to tell if Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is incredibly foolish in his recent shopping spree, snapping up tech companies left and right, or if he's incredibly wise, and playing the long game. On Tuesday, Facebook announced it was acquiring Oculus VR, Inc., maker of the virtual reality machine Oculus Rift.

Brazilian Congress Passes World's First "Bill of Rights" For The Internet

Earlier this month, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, called for a "Bill of Rights" for the web on its 25th birthday. Late last night, Brazil broke ground and became the first country to pass a bill protecting the rights of internet users.

Netflix's Net Neutrality and the Problem of 'Scarcity'

On Thursday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings came out in favor of stronger net neutrality rules. Hastings supports a version of net neutrality that would help Netflix stream to customers without constant buffering - and without Netflix having to pay extra to internet service providers. But the root problem for Netflix and customers isn't the "toll" that Netflix recently had to pay for direct access - it's America's bandwidth scarcity.

U.S. Is Giving Up Control of Internet Names System

The U.S. Government will soon relinquish the authority it still holds over one of the internet's most important systems - running the internet protocol network and the assigning of Web addresses and domains.

Creator Tim Berners-Lee Calls for Bill Of Rights for Internet On Web's 25th Birthday

Twenty-five years ago today, on March 12 1989, a British computer scientist working at CERN submitted a proposal for an information management system based on "hypertext" that would link people, computers, and documents in a connected "web" he called "Mesh." A year later he would rename it the World Wide Web - I think you've heard of it.

New Latin Focused .UNO Domain Available to the Public on March 19

The internet is about to get a lot bigger, come mid-March, when another batch of gTLDs (generic top level domains: various alternatives for the ".com" or ".org" that follows a web address) hit the public. On March 19, one of those gTLDs up for grabs is .UNO, the first dedicated domain for Spanish-speakers.

The Web at 25: Pew Study Finds the Internet More Essential Than Ever

With the World Wide Web turning 25 this year, the Pew Research Internet Project unveiled a massive study (with more to come) looking at how Americans' lives and attitudes have changed over the course of the Web's life.

Is Net Neutrality's Death Responsible for Slowing Netflix Streaming?

In recent weeks, Netflix subscribers have noticed that their instant streaming service has increasingly degraded in quality and load time, even some with hefty broadband connections. The big question on everyone's minds is: does the slow-down have to do with the recent suspension of Net Neutrality, or something else?

Google Adds Some Latino-Heavy Cities to Possible Fiber List: If They Make the Cut

Google announced recently it was considering some new cities for its Google Fiber internet service, including some heavily Latino cities. But can they make the cut?

National Latino Groups Respond to Comcast Merger, FCC Plans with Optimism, Skepticism

With the Federal Communications Commission going back to the drawing board on Net Neutrality and Comcast recently announcing its proposed take-over of Time Warner Cable, the internet landscape as we know it is changing. National Latino organizations are reacting - with what could be described as "skeptical optimism."

Why Facebook is Buying WhatsApp for $19 Billion: Mobile and Emerging Markets

Facebook has decided to make its largest purchase ever with the acquisition of popular messaging service WhatsApp. Why did this messaging app fetch one of the largest sums in the web industry's recent history? Here are a few reasons.

FCC Announces Plans to Resurrect Net Neutrality, But Challenges Remain Ahead

The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission announced on Wednesday that the FCC would resurrect its Open Internet (i.e., Net Neutrality) rules. But the devil is in the details.

Comcast To Buy Time Warner Cable, Sparking Regulatory and Net Neutrality Concerns

Cable TV and internet giant Comcast has reached a deal to buy cable TV and internet giant Time Warner Cable for around $45.2 billion. The merger, which was announced Thursday but broke late Wednesday, would create a television and internet behemoth the likes of which we've never seen - if it's approved.

Valentine's Day On The Internet: How Our Digital Lives Affect Our Loved Ones

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Pew Research Internet Project has released a survey about how the internet and social media has impacted couples' lives. The takeaway? The internet and the devices connected to it can be good relationship tools, if treated properly. Also, people are sexting more.

'The Day We Fight Back': Thousands Protest NSA Surveillance in Aaron Swartz's Memory

Reddit, Tumblr, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, the American Civil Liberties Union and more than 5,000 other internet-based companies and organizations have joined together to protest surveillance by the National Security Agency on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
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